Mouthing I Love You
by Cain Hargreaves
Summary: Bro Strider is getting old and he knows this. Getting milk for Dave one day, he never knew that he'd meet a troll that would change his boring, repetitive life as well. ...But how will he get the other to say those three little words?


Watching the motorcycle fly by, people stopped to stare at the man perched on the bike, a nice black Harley. He was cool and calm, not that anyone could see behind his helmet and even if they could, the shades he would have put on afterward would have hidden his orange hued eyes. He stepped off his bike and sauntered into the supermarket to grab his brother's damn milk that the little shit had been complaining about all of the night before.

Walking inside, Bro tipped a wink at a pretty, redheaded lady that worked the tile, making her blush brightly. Sure he liked the ladies, but lately, he had realized that he was getting older and none the wiser when it came to dating. There was no stopping it, aging that is, and here he was flirting at the supermarket. How lame could he be? He needed to find someone to settle down with to get away from this lonely life that he led, maybe a nice brunette or redhead. At this point of his life, he'd be fine with a male. That was great; he didn't care. His little brother was with one, so maybe that would be nice.

A couple of aisles over, he stood in front of the milk trying to decide which one would be the best to use in cereal, a gloved hand on his hip. Not that it really mattered, as Dave would drink or eat anything really. He sighed and finally reached for one of the cartons, not expecting a hand to get there first. He glanced to the side and froze at the unusual sight that met his eyes.

A man stood there, a very strange man. His eyes were a violet color, dark and intensely purple. His skin, not that he could see a lot of it, was covered in black makeup that made him look sort of like a skeleton, and what wasn't covered in makeup was covered in black clothing that seemed to hug his body closely. His horns, which immediately identified him as a troll, stood tall and proud on his head, but his most redeeming feature were his lips. Those lips, rich and luscious, but horribly scarred, making him look all the more striking.

Bro instinctively let go of the milk and stood stock still, earning a little smile from the man. He had no idea what to say so he just grabbed the next carton and placed it in the little basket he had grabbed on the way in feeling suddenly awkward. He then left the aisle quickly, going into the next one to catch his breath and gather his thoughts at the image he had just seen. This was odd, these feelings that welled up inside him. He felt sadness hit him and he frowned a bit. This wasn't what he had expected to feel today. He'd just come to get milk, not get uncomfortable feelings!

Bro let out a little sigh and continued his shopping. Now he was looking for him, dammit. Why the fuck did he care? He sighed and went through the checkout, now he was going to go home and forget about it all. A hand touched his arm as he was about to hop onto his bike, making him jump and glancing down he spotted the hand that had touched the milk earlier, those black nails unmistakable. This time though, it held a bag that the blonde had forgotten. He'd forgotten his milk in his haste to leave.

"Thanks," Bro said softly as he took it slowly, not looking up at the other as those feelings welled up in himself again. He expected an answer, but didn't hear it. His eyes finally looked up from his bike to the other man's face. He noted that the other seemed to be trying to mouth a word, watching as he tried to form the words with those scarred lips. "Are you trying to say 'Welcome?'" He asked the question curiously as he looked down at his bike, anywhere but looking at the man.

The man nodded almost shyly and turned away, disappearing in the crowd before Bro could comment, heading back into the store, leaving the blond male alone and lost in his thoughts. Now that he had time to think on it, the man reminded him of someone that was most likely at his home right now. He hopped onto his bike, kick started it and headed home to see his brother's lover.

To set things straight, he hated this kid, mainly because Gamzee Makara was an asshole. He didn't hit Dave or anything, but he was a lazy troll that didn't bother trying to make anything of himself. Bro often wondered how he'd managed to stay in school with Dave, but that was most likely the answer: Dave. He felt the pride that he usually felt well up inside of himself at that moment.

Letting himself into the apartment, he yawned and picked up a bottle lying on the floor out in the open, a Faygo bottle to be exact. He gave a little laugh, seeing that bottle that shouldn't be there at all just amused him, and headed inside so he could close the door behind him. He hoped that Dave had gone to high school today and he was pretty sure he had, having thought that he'd heard a door open and close this morning early. Sure enough, he checked the bedroom and his little brother was gone, hopefully to his class and not to Gamzee's apartment. The idea of Dave in that apartment made him shudder.

Bro rolled his eyes as he spotted a pair of polka dotted boxers on a lamp of Dave's room and laughed before cringing. Damn that man and his polka dots. His pants, his undies, who the fuck else was like this? Polka dots were hideous on anything. He tossed them onto Dave's bed with a little smirk of his own. Let Dave deal with them, not his older brother. Ew, it was too gross for him to think about at the moment.

The blond settled onto the couch after sitting down with a little exhalation of happiness at being able to sit and relax. Now he could really think about what was going on with the jumbled thoughts in his head. First there was the issue of Dave and the responsibility of raising him on his own all those years, but luckily Dave would be eighteen in just a few months. That helped Bro out on that problem really. Next there was the issue of a job that he had to take soon. He let himself think on the man for just a moment, wondering what to do about the feelings that the man had unlocked inside that Bro had buried years before.

The man from earlier had reminded him a bit of Gamzee actually now that he thought on it. They both shared the same messy head of hair, the same strange fashion sense and even the same shade of eye color. Perhaps they were related or something, he didn't know, but he would find out. The problem of trying to figure out a way to ask Gamzee without seeming to be too eager in wanting to know that knowledge presented itself, knowing that the other would tell Dave of the strange questions or would laugh or whatever it was that Gamzee did usually. He gave another little exhale of his breath and then closed his eyes to concentrate on the motion of the air coming into his nostrils and then leaving them. Bo really needed to find a way to stop this thinking thing that he'd developed. This concentration soon had him asleep on the couch like he wanted, still breathing in and out slowly, his mind emptied of it's usually issues.

A sound woke him up a few hours later, a sound from the kitchen the sound of the can opener. He checked his phone and saw that the time wasn't nearly time for Dave to be home. Rolling his eyes and standing, he cracked his back with a practiced roll of his shoulders, making a soft happy noise as he felt relief, last time he'd nap on the couch. Craning his head he could just make out the silhouette of a troll in his kitchen with the fridge open.

"Gamzee, what the fuck are you doing?"

The man startled, and being a good six inches or so taller than Bro, stood and smacked his head on the slightly opened cabinet door above the refrigerator. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head and laughed a bit, spotting his lover's brother as well. "Hey Bro, what's up?" He grinned at him and closed it. "Sorry. I got off school early and came here to wait for Dave."

Bro nodded and then shook his head at the other hurting himself, it being such a Gamzee thing to do. "Yeah, yeah, and you have no food at home?" He chuckled with a shake of his head. "Go on and eat as much as you'd like, I guess. I'm getting used to being out of snacks anyway." He blinked, a thought coming to him. Now was a good of chance as any to ask that question. "So… do you have any relatives?" Cool and casual would help, yep. "Like maybe one who wears skeleton styled facial makeup and black clothing, if so, I spotted him today."

"Of course I do!" He laughed. "I have a cousin that lives in town. He's a weirdo." He bit into an apple and wiped at the juice that ran down his face. "Name is Kurloz. He's in the local college for art or movie makeup or some shit. He's nice, just odd with that skeleton makeup shit."

"Kurloz…" Bro repeated softly, liking the feel of the name on his lips. "Interesting, I met him today at the store. He handed me the bag I had forgotten." His face heated just slightly as Gamzee glanced at him curiously. "What? We didn't even speak. He just handed me the bag and vanished. It was like a two second thing."

"That's good, because he doesn't speak. He's mute, has been for as long as I remember actually." Gamzee shrugged as he began to eat another apple, having eaten the entire thing, minus the core, before dumping it into the trash. "Damn why didn't Alternia have these? I could have had delicious apples all the time, but no, I ate motherfuckin shit man, just shit. I am from a deprived planet Bro." He chewed for a moment then glanced at the other man with a little grin that was almost a smirk. "You know, he is single. I think that he was with someone, but it didn't work out. Now they're just friends."

Bro shrugged, hoping that the pink that tinged his face wasn't obvious in the harsh overhead lights. "That's nice, but it's just a silly notion of an old man." He let the conversation end there as Dave walked in, chatting about this and that, mainly about his best friend and school work, but he found he could barely focus, that man was still weighing on his mind for some reason. He helped Dave cook a bit of food then headed into his room to play with his old guitar, hoping it would help.

Maybe he'd start attending college, as he had thought about years before especially since he'd found out that Kurloz was going there, not that he cared of course. Not many years before, but enough to make him sort of forget about it really. He sighed and leaned back on the bed. Whatever. Sleep would help him think it all through then he could relax and get the process started; he'd decide in the morning.

In a small dorm room nearby, two best troll friends were in the midst of a heated, yet quiet, discussion. Using their strange form of sign language, they were both able to communicate just fine, thank you very much. The male troll's fingers furiously signed the phrases running through his head that he wasn't able to voice in the air, but oh he wanted to. He wanted to just shout at her, but alas that was impossible, but he did mouth a few choice words that would have made his cousin proud.

'No Meulin! I really don't think that you and I dating again would be a good idea! In fact, I think that it's a horrendous idea that would destroy our beautiful, loving, patient friendship that has lasted for a very long time now!' He sighed and stopped long enough to brush his hair out of his face. 'I just don't understand it. Why today? I have three papers due and a huge test tomorrow, and this is not what I wanted to discuss!'

The girl gave the little smile that she was known for and signed back. 'You drama-king. Calm down and let me explain this to you. First of all, I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Mituna. He likes you dummy. I know that we couldn't make it in a relationship, not after the whole ear, hearing loss thing, you misinterpreted me. Second of all, he's afraid to ask you because you're a drama-king. Third of all, good luck on that silly stuff. Love is more important and you know it!' She grinned up at him and stretched like a cat across his bed. 'How was your day by the way?'

Kurloz shrugged his shoulders, as he took his shirt off to reveal a bare chest that he hadn't bothered to ever cover with makeup. He wanted to be comfortable more than makeup over everything 'I went and got a few things at the store, played the Good Samaritan card, and then came back here to work before you come in. Not an interesting day, but a good one I suppose. And don't call me a drama-king when I don't deserve the title!'

Meulin watched him, head tilted in confusion and nodded, playing with the ends of her long hair before popping the end into her mouth where sharp, small teeth clamped down on it. 'That's not really like you, is it? Helping people like that? You're a bit shy hon.' She giggled at the glare she received. 'Aw~ Don't be like that love. It's true. Was he cute at least?' Her head tilted to the side like a child would do or a small animal would do as she watched him. Damn her insightfulness with him, just damn it to hell!

The other troll grabbed one of the makeup wipes that he kept nearby on his bedside table and began to quickly wipe his face clean, or as clean as he could before he used water to wash away the rest. He threw the wipe away once he'd gotten most of it off and sighed and then paused to think. 'Well he was, I guess. In an older guy sort of way. He was only in his early thirties, I suppose, so a good… ten years older than me. Besides all I did was hand him a bag that he'd left behind.' He shrugged. 'It was nice to help though, of course.'

Kurloz sighed softly at the bright eyed stare she was giving him. 'Don't you dare get any ideas, I mean it.' His eyes flashed in the pale light of the overhead lamp.

She purred and rubbed up against him playfully, nodding. 'Fine. I won't.' Meulin stood up with a little purr and pecked his cheek. 'I have to go; I got to write a paper too. Don't think too much on him~' She kissed his cheek and left the room with a soft hum.

He rolled his eyes and crawled into his bed, thoughts racing from Mituna to that strange man he'd met today in the supermarket. Falling asleep was going to take awhile at this rate. He laid there for a bit before getting up with a groan.

He wasn't going to sleep at all, he realized, so he sat out on the little balcony that he shared with his roommate. He sighed and looked over the city, exhaling a bit in pleasure at the landscape that he got to live in. The city was beautiful in the night air, lights around him, tall skyscrapers that seemingly went up and up. Beauty itself was around him. He felt peaceful.

He glanced down at the street for a moment and his eyes widened. There, on the street below illuminated in the streetlights, was a head of blond locks wearing strange sunglasses, walking along with his cousin and his cousin's boyfriend, which he'd never seen before but recognized from a picture Gamzee had on his phone. They hadn't spotted him yet, but he knew that Gamzee would, figuring that he'd stop by before heading to a local club or something. He tried to shrink back against the wall and stay perfectly still.

Too late, Gamzee spotted him. "Kurloz! What's up my mute brother?" His loud voice carried over the quiet scene that Kurloz had been admiring earlier. "Come on man, come down here and meet my boyfriend Dave and his brother Bro." He waved at him with a huge grin on his face.

Kurloz shook his head with a frown and gave a large fake yawn. He wasn't in the mood to deal with people. He also didn't feel like wandering around, especially with the man that he'd seen earlier that day. How much of a coincidence was it that it was Dave's brother? He smiled a little and waved to send them on their merry way before heading inside to sit and think. He managed to lull himself to sleep using an old trick he'd picked up a few years earlier from a friend, counting sheep.


End file.
